American born, in 1968, Rob Grad is a multidisciplinary artist and musician. His visual work has been featured in solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and he has received commissions from individuals and corporations. One of his most recent commissions, ''SF'' hangs in the San Francisco International Airport. His heavily layered work is the result of an intricate and time consuming process he developed which combines his photography, paintings and drawings. Using plexiglass, wood and an assortment of other 3D objects, the images are assembled both digitally and physically. His music career began fresh out of high school when his band, Kik Tracee, signed a record deal with RCA Records. They were featured on MTV, toured the U.S., and performed with acts such as Bon Jovi and Joe Walsh. His musical works have been featured in movies and TV shows on networks including HBO, CBS, ABC, MTV, and the WB. He is also a partner in the marketing and creative services firm, Ideas Agency, and was a TEDx speaker in Culver City, California. In this series of abstract portraits, Rob offers an exploration of how we feel about and perceive ourselves internally versus how we represent and project that identity into the world. Each figure makes a bold statement on the surface with confidence and bravado before dissolving into abstraction. The contrast of thick black lines, white shapes and swirling colors with physical space between them, suggest a gulf between the outward statements we make and the internal realities behind them. Three layers of plexiglass are stacked with 1/2'' (13mm) space between them. Black and white acrylic is painted on the back of two layers with a simulated multiple exposure photograph in front. Each montage contains photographs of a human torso, layered with abstract paintings, photographed and exposed onto the original picture.